Scripture: Matthew 20:26-27
[Jesus said,] It will not be so among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave…
Thought for the Day: This morning in worship I am going to reference Thomas Merton who was a Trappist Monk, poet, social activist and Christian mystic. He once wrote, “Pride makes us artificial. Humility makes us real.” I have never thought of humility as an expression of our genuine nature, but when Jesus invited his disciples to be servants to others, he was describing God’s original design for humanity. Somewhere along the lines, we got confused and thought our purpose was to push down and trample upon as many others as possible on our way to the top. And there are plenty of Christians who will describe that as God’s hope, though doing so with lots of pious language. I would suggest that the life of Jesus is God whispering to our deepest selves, that place where the divine spark resides, and saying, “You were created to serve, and in serving, you will find the greatest joy.”
Prayer: Gracious God, if by chance I have forgotten what I was created to be, remind me with the template of the Jesus-life. Amen.
